A Tale of Love and Starlight
by SenseOfImagination
Summary: Lucy's life is perfect, with no surprises or mistakes. But everything changes when a man called Sting gets in her way. He makes Lucy's life a colorful adventure, but at a high cost. Natsu watches as Sting drags away his woman from him, and decides to take action to don't let her fall into Sting's evil hands. But in the end, this is Lucy's choice. Who will she stay with?
1. Once Upon a Time

_**Annyeonghaseyo! **_**Hello! Well, so... This is my first FanFiction! Please go easy on me, k'ay? Please take some time to read it. ****This FanFic happens after the incident of Zentopia and the reborn Oracion Seis, before _and _during the Magic Tournament. I packed the story with a little StingXLucy, LucyXNatsu, GrayXJuvia, ErzaXJellal... stuff like that. Though, I will focus on LucyXNatsu and StingXLucy. If it has any gloomy parts, don't worry! The Sun will come out again! By the way, this is rated T for moderate swearing and a bit of... "mature" content, as you may call it. ****Don't forget to follow, favorite and review! Thank you! ****_Gamsahabnida!_**

* * *

**_Symbology of the Story_**

_Blah: Thoughts/ Dreams/ Words in exaggerated context_

**Blah: Author's Note/Comment**

"Blah": Dialogue/ Expressions

Blah: Flashback

**_Blah: Headlines/ Titles_**

* * *

**_Chapter 1_**

**_Once Upon a Time_**

**_Lucy 1st Person _****_POV_**

_It was cold. The small and fragile snowflakes slowly fell on the blood-stained ground. On the icy floor, a young blond-haired man lay still, his eyes die open, looking around desperately, as if looking for something, and blood flowing from the left corner of his mouth. He was breathing with great difficulty, as if he had rocks stuck in his lungs. The shadows of the tall pine trees around him half-covered his face, just letting show the right side of his angelic and yet so evil face. A scar that went from his eyebrow to where his hair started made him look even more vulnerable than what he already did. I looked at him from one side, without moving._

_"L-Lucy..." the man called me, his eyes still wandering through the nowhere "Forgive m-me, Lucy..."_

_A cold laughter flew out of my lips. It wasn't even mine. It sounded like a mad, animal-like laughter. _

_"Forgive you?" I hissed "Forgive you? After what you've done?"_

_I laughed again, with more cruelty than what anyone could imagine. _

_"Forget it!" I snapped. The more I talked, the more I thought that the mad voice that was spearing that man's soul like swords couldn't possibly be mine. A tear went down the man's face, and he closed his eyes with sadness. Then again, the man reopened his eyes heavily. This time, his eyes were looking at me. His pupils looked so magical under the light that the snowflakes reflected, the color of them passing from sea green, to dark night blue, to red, red like the blood that stained his perfect face. With a voice filled with desperation, madness and, to my surprise, love, the man said:_

_"P-Please... I didn't mean to... You know that I -"_

_"That you what?" I cut him "That you're a selfish monster? A filthy liar? A greedy thief?"_

_Even if I was the one saying those words, it felt like someone was controlling my brain. The real me wanted to run to help that angelic stranger, to tell him to stop crying, to tell him that he wasn't alone. But the other me kept on __taking._

_"You know well what you did! You will never be able to fix it! And I hate you for that!"_

_More tears streamed down the man's face. He was getting paler and paler, and I could see the life finally leaving his body._

_"I'm sorry, Lucy" he said with his last strength "I will always be"_

_I knelt next to him. Getting near his face, I whispered:_

_"I hope so" I kissed the man's cheek sweetly "Goodbye, Sting"_

* * *

"Lucy! Wake up!"

I opened my eyes.

"Lucy Heartfilia! Are you still in bed?"

I looked around. I was in my room. No dark forest, no half-dead man.

"Lucy!"

I stood up lazily.

"Coming! Why are you so impatient?"

_Gods, do I really have to wake up this early? _I looked out of my window. On the street, Natsu and Happy were standing (or, in Happy's case, flying).

"Lucy! We returned from our mission!" Happy said.

"Yes, I can see that!" I shouted back.

"We've been _waiting _for you all the morning! Come on, let's go to the guild"

_These reckless monkeys._

"Get going! I'll meet with you guys later!" I said. Natsu and Happy nodded and ran away from my sight. I sighed deeply. Seeing Natsu again made me so happy that I almost forgot my dream. As soon I remembered the tear streaming down the man's face, my smile totally faded. Who was he? Why was I so mad at him? _C'mon, Lucy!_ I thought Wake_ up yourself! He was just a dream! _

"I am hallucinating" I murmured.

* * *

After taking a long and calming bath, dressing up myself in what Bickslow liked to call "Cheerleader clothes" and placing my key belt around my hips, I walked out of my house and then to the guild. The day was very beautiful; the sun shone on the clear and fresh water of the water channels, the gentle wind made the flowers on the cherry trees dance on their branches, the birds singing their magical songs. Since the weather was so nice, most of the sellers of Magnolia had placed their colorful magical products on hand-made blankets on the streets, putting everything on discount.

"Hmm..." I murmured "Since everything is at least 40% off, it couldn't affect to take a look and, perhaps, buy a thing or two" I looked around and chuckled to myself, thinking of the possibilities of getting new clothes. And keys, of course. I walked around, looking for a stand that caught my attention.

"Keys! We sell magical keys! Gate of the Fairy! Gate of the Swan Princess! Gate of the Blue Wolf! Gate of the Light deer!"

Music to my ears. I turned around and saw a stand filled with keys, so many of them that I couldn't count. I rushed happily to the stand.

"Oh, by Macarov's beard! What a lovely woman have we got here today!" said the salesman, an old man with a funny mustache and small eyes "How can I help you, my dear?"

"Can you show me your three most powerful keys?"

"But of course! We've got them locked, so I'll look for the key. Be back in a moment!" the old man left running. While he was gone, I looked at the other keys. I recognized some of them; Gate of the Twelve Swords, Gate of the Rolling Buffalo, Gate of the Healing Unicorn and a few others.

"Oh, look at this one. Very rare indeed. Gate of the Sexy Blond Cheerleader" a voice behind me said. I turned around, more than ready to slap some jerk. But at the moment in which I saw who it was, every inch of muscle in my body froze. Looking at me with a creepy, master-level perverted face, the boy who I never expected to see was standing. In front of my eyes, the boy who I'd dreamt of was there. The angelic-looking man. Sting.


	2. So You're Real

**_Annyeonghaseyo! _****It's me, SenseOfImagination! So, sorry if I don't update chapters so often, I'm a little busy. ****_At the moment. _****So... Gate of the Rolling Buffalo. Have fun reading! Don't forget to Favorite and Follow my story! I have faith in you! And by the way... Merry Christmas!**

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

_**So... You're Real**_

**_Sting_**_** 1st Person POV**_

"Oh, look at this one. Very rare indeed. Gate of the Sexy Blond Cheerleader" I said. The sexy blond girl who I had followed since the morning turned to look at me. Wow. She _was _very rare indeed. No, I don't mean that she looked _rare. _I mean that she _was _rare. Ok, I'm getting you a little mixed-up. Let me explain. Her _beauty _was rare to found. See? Now we are understanding each other. Um, however. When she fixed her eyes on me (or rather, when I fixed my eyes of _her)_ I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. Her eyes shone on the lightest gleam of light, making her big chocolate-colored pupils look like the eyes of a princess, a princess from an old fairy tale. Her blond hair danced around her face with the gentle breeze, making her look even more magical. Her skin was white like the snow, and smooth like silk. Her cherry-colored lips were so perfect, it was even ridiculous. First, when she turned and I looked at her face for the first time, I felt kind of ashamed for following her. _I know, I know. It is absolutely unthinkable for the great Sting-sama to be ashamed. _But something odd happened. Like, really odd. When she looked at me, her saw dropped wide open, her skins became even paler.

"_You__" _the girl murmured, taking a step back and bumping on the key table. I frowned in confusion.

"Me what?" I asked roughly.

"Y-you..." she repeated. Ok. I'm running out of patience. I looked around and then back to her. Scornfully, I shouted:

"What? Do I look like the Gate of the Schizophrenic Alpaca? Huh? Spit it out!"

The girl fell to the floor as if an invisible force had pushed her. I just stood there, watching her squeal like a miserable rat. Why was she so scared? Was I so handsome that she thought I was a hallucination? After a while of getting her cheerleader skirt dirty, the girl stood up with some difficulty and looked at me with her eyes wide open. Without saying a word, shed turned on her heels and ran away from me as fast as she could, which was surprisingly fast.

"You! Wait!" I shouted. I don't know why, but I ran after her. Why was I even following this noisy girl? I ran and ran, but after a short while, the blond angel (_Angel? Seriously?) _was already out of my sight.

* * *

_**Lucy 1st Person POV**_

My feet hurt. Of course, running in high heels is not a very good idea, is it? But my feet wasn't what was bothering me the most. What bothered me was the he was _real. _That the angel was _real. _And a pervert, by the way. I was so focused on the matter that I didn't see the wall in front of me and... well, you can imagine the rest. I hit myself so hard that some blood starting dripping from my forehead, and some tears went down my eyes. Well, _now _I feel very stupid. The lucky side of hitting myself was that, at least, the wall that was now beautifully decorated with my blood was the guild's wall. I sighed. _Finally, _I thought. I stood up and entered through the guild's door. I sat in the first table that I found and threw my head on the table. And guess what? I hit my forehead _again. _

"Heeeeee..." I moaned.

"Lucy!"

I looked up. Natsu and Happy were there, looking at me with what eyes.

"What happened to you?" asked Happy. I turned red like a tomato. Or Erza's hair. Or both.

"Um... I kind of hit myself in my way here"

Natsu and Happy looked at each other. A few moments passed before...

"PWAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Natsu and Happy were laughing so hard that all the guild stopped their conversations and turned to look at us. They both fell to the floor in their laughter, and they started rolling like buffalos. They reached a point where no sound came out of their mouths and they were clapping like retarded seals.

"Y-You hi...hit yourself THAT hard?" said Natsu after a while "Are you okay?"

I looked at him with the eyes of a killer whale. He and Happy stopped laughing at the moment.

"You." I said "Are. So. _Dead._"

With an inhumane force that I didn't even know I had, I took Natsu and apply by their necks and threw them as far as I could. Yeah, bad idea. By accident, Natsu fell on the table where Gajeel, Gray and Elfman where drinking.

"Idiot!" shouted Gray and tried to punch Natsu. Natsu was fast enough to dodge it, so Gray's fist hit Gajeel right in the face. In the blink of an eye, every man of the guild (including Loke, who I didn't even summon) was kicking, punching and biting (yes, _biting) _every single thing or person they could. As crazy as it seems. _These reckless monkeys. _But the fight didn't last much. Before this thing could get any funnier, the doors of the guild opened.

"Is there a blond Celestial Mage here?" asked a voice nearby the stopped fighting and turned around. I turned around to see who was asking for me. _Oh, Gods. _On the door, my nightmare was looking around, searching for me. That damn stalker. Sting. _Again._


	3. Ouch

**_Annyeonghaseyo! _It's me again! Sorry if I don't post this stuff that often, imagination isn't that easy to get. So, if you don't like anything or want something changed, just tell me right away, ok? Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

_**"Ouch"**_

**_Natsu 1st Person POV_**

"Is there a blond Celestial Mage here?" asked a voice. Someone asking for Lucy? I had enough experience to know it wasn't right. I turned around to see who it was. On the door, a blond, I-am-perfect-or-at-least-that's-what-I-think looking guy looked around, searching for my friend. He was dressed in very weird clothes, and I am, of course, not saying this because I am jealous that he looked good. Changing the subject, this guy seemed kind of familiar. I had seen him somewhere... but I couldn't put my finger on it. I stood up from the floor (Gray kind of tackled me) and took a step forward.

"Do you know Lucy?" I asked. The guy turned around to look at me. His dark blue eyes looked at me scornfully. For just a moment, I swear that I saw a flash of anger in the guy's eyes. Anger so pure and evil it didn't even fit the eyes of such a young person.'t was just a moment before the anger in his eyes vanished. He smiled at me, like saying I-know-how-to-manage-this-kind-of-people.

"Indeed. Yes, yes I do. Lucy. Yes, I know her" he said, his bright white teeth still showing.

"And what's your business with her?" I asked trying not to sound too rude. The bright smile melted off the guy's face showing a madman's stare, but it, like the anger in his eyes, faded quickly. The perfect smile was even wider than before. He came three or four steps closer to me.

"That's none of your business" he whispered almost singing. Willing to challenge him and to see how far his commercial smile could go, I took some steps closer, so I was millimeters apart from his face.

"Yes it is" I whispered back, sounding even more annoying than him. But my badass attitude ran away from my body quickly. I opened my eyes widely. Gods, that smell. _His_ smell. It was so familiar... Where had I seen this guy? I knew him, I was certain of it...

The guy frowned and hissed, then he took some steps back, until his girly face was away from my fist's reach. He looked around, in the way n which a warrior looks around after killing his opponent, to see who else dares to challenge him.

"Where can I find this Lucy girl?" he asked to no one in particular, with that annoying voice of his. He had forgotten completely about smiling like a stupid girl.

"How can we know that you're trustworthy?" finally asked Erza. Her eyes had a clear message: if you do something that looks particularly threatening, we'll kill you in a blink. The guy shoot her a "killing" look. That stare of his, I have to admit, was very powerful. But no one in this world can intimidate Erza.

"Why do I have to be trustworthy?" he asked, almost spitting the words "She is my friend, I don't have to be trustworthy"

Next to me, Gajeel and Wendy tensed. They both knew the same as I did. This guy was lying. Something great about us dragon slayers is that we can know the mood changes in people by their smell, and, obviously, if you lie, your mood changes, even if it is just slightly.

"Get out of here" Erza said "Lucy will tell us if you're really trustworthy later on. For the moment, don't you even dare stepping inside this guild"

The guy tensed.

"You'll all regret this. Treating the Great Sting like a beggar, that's it"

He turned on his heels and walked away out the guild. I started to breathe again. I was so tense that I haven't even blinked, so I closed my eyes heavily. I turned around.

"Lucy!" I said "We scared him off!"

No answer.

"Lucy?"

I opened my eyes and looked around. Gajeel, Gray, Lisanna, Cana, some broken chairs and a few tables... but Lucy was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**_Lucy 1st Person POV_**

Oh, may God be blessed again and again! Just thanks to him Sting didn't see me as I creeped out of the guild though the kitchen's door. As soon as I was out of the guild, I ran with all my strength until I reached my house. When I reached in my door's house, I felt all the life return to my body. I took out my house key and was about to open it, just before...

_PUM!_

Something hard like a rock hit my head, then the heat started spreading from where I was hit to the very tip of my fingers, and I fell unconscious in the arms of a stranger. I am yet not sure if what I'm about to say really happened, but I think I saw a flash of blond hair before I fainted. Platinum hair, just like Sting's.


	4. Do you trust me?

_**Annyeonghaseyo! **_**How was your Christmas, everybody? Did you have fun? Sorry that I haven't posted any chapter in a long time, I couldn't enter to my account for some reason. But well, here it is the new chapter! Please follow, favorite and review!**

* * *

**_Chapter 3_**

**_"Do you trust me?"_**

**_Lucy First Person POV_**

"Wake up. Wake up, you idiot. WAKE UP!"

I felt as someone slapped my face. I moaned. Slowly, I opened both of my eyes. In front of me, there was a man who looked about my age, or maybe a little older. His hair was white, but when I say white, I don't mean blond. His hair was white like the snow, or maybe even whiter. His eyes were green, and his pupils were two lines, like a cat's. His face was pale, pale like death itself. He was wearing a pair of dirty red sneakers, torn black jeans, and a shirt that was buttoned up just to cover his belly, so he was showing his bare, strong chest. I must admit, he _was _handsome. When he saw that I opened my eyes, he made a smirk. A smirk full of madness, a smirk proper for someone who was not on its right mind.

"So you're awake, little bitch-chan" he said. His voice sounded playful and childish, like he had just ate too much of his grandma's hand-made chocolate cookies.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked trembling. I felt so weak, like I have been beaten all up. I tried to move, just to realize that I was tied to a chair. But even if I wasn't... my body was so weak that I couldn't have made it even to the bathroom.

"That's none of your business, bitch-chan" he said "Now, I've been looking for money in your fucking girly house for what now has been an hour and a half, without any success. You will tell me where it is. And trust me, to struggle won't be a good idea"

"Come on, Daisuke" said a cold voice behind me "It will do no good to hide the truth from her"

From behind the chair where I was sitting, another man about my age came out. He was red haired, a red like Erza's hair, passionate, with the color of blood. Like the other man's eyes, his pupils were feline-like. He was deadly serious, and his brown eyes were completely expressionless. Looking at him in the eyes was like looking into the eyes of a corpse. He was wearing very elegant clothes, like the clothes of an earl. They were, though, very dark, like a goth's clothes. Like the first guy, he was very handsome. I blushed, and then thought sorrowfully, _Of all the guys in the world that could have kidnapped me in my house, why did they have to be so damn hot?. _The serious guy looked at me. Without any expression, he said coldly:

"What my friend here is trying to say is that, if you don't give us enough money to go around the world twice, we will kill you in a slow, painful way. You know, we like to see pretty girls shouting in pain and shedding tears. And blood, if there's a chance"

"But she's very pretty" said a creepy voice that came from a corner "Can't we keep her as a pet?"

Out of the shadows, another guy appeared. He was very tall, but unlike the two others, this one was very skinny. Despite his scrawny body, he was kind of cute. His hair was the color of caramel, and his blue feline eyes shone under the light. He was looking at the horizon, apparently not watching anything in particular.

"We told you to stay silent, didn't we, Hikaru?" asked the serious guy. Hikaru completely ignored him. He looked at me with his big, creepy madman's eyes. With a sweet and kind smile he asked:

"Can I hear you cry? We don't need to kill you, to torture you is plenty of fun"

I didn't answer.

"Go back, Hikaru. There's no need for you to be here" said the serious guy. Hikaru looked at him with his big, restless eyes.

"Why should I, Ichirou?" he said "You're not my boss"

Ichirou frowned in clear anger.

"Am I not, you little beast?"

Ichirou and Hikaru started fighting in the way two little boys fight over the last piece of candy. I sighed. Soon after, Daisuke also joined the fight. I just tried to think about something else. I looked through the window. Perhaps someone could pass and see me here, and maybe call the police, or better, call Natsu. Natsu... I had missed him while he was on his mission. I missed his craziness, his bright smile, his loud laughter, even his savage way of eating... Oh, gosh. What was that? Why was my heart pounding so quickly. I shook my head quickly, trying to put apart my romantic thoughts. Natsu was my beast friend! It could be impossible to... oh, wait, who was that on the window? I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't see a person staining there, looking at me. He (or she) had a weird tall hat, like Abraham Lincoln's hat. He had a pair of sunglasses, and, I don't have the slightest idea of why, a suck hiding his or her nose. He or she was wearing a weird oversized pink dress, and was carrying a frying pan in his or her right hand. On the other, she had a suck like the one on his or her nose. When he or she noticed that I was watching her (or him), she or he placed a finger in his or her mouth, like saying _I know I look weird, but try not to laugh for the moment, _and then she or he creeped out of my sight. Moments after, the, um, "thing" rushed into my house, rolling like a buffalo. Before any of the creepy guys could say anything, he had already knocked all of them with his frying pan. I looked at the unconscious bodies on the floor, and then at the thing.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised" it said. The voice was a man's, and it sounded familiar. He took of the hat, the glasses, the sock and the oversized dress.

"Hi, Lucy" said Sting.

* * *

**_Sting First Person POV_**

Lucy and I were sitting in one side of the water channel, watching he sun go down. I had explained her that I followed her, and that I wasn't dangerous (yeah, tat last part sounds awkward). Right now, she was explaining how she was kidnapped in her own house, and how the weird guys had threatened to kill her. Once she was finished, a deep uncomfortable silence fell.

"Um... Sting?" she said. I turned around.

"Yes, Lucy?" I said softly

"Sorry for, well you know... running like that"

I smiled.

"It's okay. Sorry for scaring you. By the way, I brought you something"

I placed my hand into my pocket and took out a box.

"What is this?" she asked

"My way to say sorry" I answered "Open it"

She opened it and took out three keys.

"Key of the Time Prince, Key of the Six Fallen Angels and Key of the Shadow Herald. Oh, and" I took a small key out of my pock "Key of the Schizophrenic Alpaca. I'm not sure of how that one works"

A smile appeared in her cherry colored lips.

"Thank you, Sting-kun"

"You're welcome. Now, I must leave"

I stood up. I was about to leave when she took my arm. I turned around to see her. She looked a bit desperate, which broke my heart. Her beautiful face, now full of bruises and cuts, was begging me with her eyes.

"Wait. Please don't leave"

I gulped.

"I have to"

"But I don't want to be alone. They will come again, and this time they will kill me and... Please"

"Then come with me" I said firmly. She opened her eyes widely.

"What?" she murmured.

"I am about to go an a quest. Come with me. Lucy, I've seen your guild. It's falling to pieces. What ones was the mightiest guild in Fiore is now in ashes. You know it. We'll take it to the peer once again. You can do it with my help. And out of it..." my voice broke "I will show you this brand new age. You will be the first one to witness the shock of the new Era. You will be its queen" I went closer to her, so close that I was millimeters apart from her face

"_Itsuka" _I murmured, looking into her eyes _"boku wa misete ageru, hikarikagayaku sekai wo"_

"Someday, I'll show you a brilliant world" she murmured, translating my words. I smiled, and then stood up.

"Come with me" I repeated

"But..." she started

"Do you trust me?" I cut her off. She looked at me with her big, beautiful eyes. After a bit of hesitation, she said:

"Yes. Yes I do"


	5. Don't go

_**Annyeonghaseyo! **_**I don't really have anything to say today... ****except for an apology for not posting anything in a long time. I was reading this Fanfic where each chapter had a song, so I thought, "_Well, that's a good idea. Why not to try?" _Please look for the songs. This chapter is all EXO, but I promise the next won't. So the songs for this Fanfiction are:**

**· **EXO's _Don't Go (Korean version)__  
_

· EXO-K's _Angel **  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

_**"Don't Go"**_

_**Natsu First Person POV**_

I looked at the paper in my hands, satisfied. This quest was totally awesome! We just had to look for some exotic fruit guarded by some terrible poisonous beast in the top of some active volcano. A piece of cake! Lucy could totally love it. At that moment, Erza, Gray and I were walking to Lucy's house, with four train tickets ready for leaving today at five. I jumped in excitement.

"Lucy's totally gonna love this mission!" I said, full of joy. Gray made a weird noise, like trying to contain laughter. I looked at him, puzzled.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing" murmured Gray. I frowned.

"Come on, Fullbuster!" I said "Spit it out!"

Gray looked at me, his eyes saying "_Oh, you're such a dumbie"_

"You've totally fallen for her!" Gray said in the middle of laughter. I blushed - I figured out that my hair was redder than Erza's hair.

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

"You love her!" said Gray, apparently completely amused "Ever since we returned, you've been all _Lucy here! _and _Oh, Lucy there! _You look totally hilarious, man!"

"Oh, no I don't!"

"Oh, yes you do!"

"Oh, no I don't!"

"Oh, yes you d-"

"Will you two shut up?" asked Erza, her voice sharp like a blade. Gray and I stopped arguing. The minutes passed slowly and uncomfortably before we arrived to Lucy house. The moment I saw the door of my angel's house -um, I mean, my _friend's_ house- my heart started pounding inside my chest, like saying _Open the dooooooorrrrr!. _I spit in one of my hands and straightened my hair. Then, I placed on the left, so my masculine chest showed. Everything perfect.

"Luuuucyyyyy!" I said, opening the door and rushing inside. Before I could run upstairs and rush into Lucy's room, I stepped on something and fell.

"Uhhhh" said a voice behind me "What time is it, momma? May I sleep five more minutes?"

"What the hell..." I said standing up slowly. Behind me, three pale guys about my age lay still on the floor. Well, one of them was moving a little and asking for his momma, but out of it the other guys lay still. Erza and Gray entered into the house. They stared at the guys a few moments before Erza asked:

"Who are they?"

"Let's find out" said Gray. He crouched and slapped the the guy who was sure that the three of us were his momma in the face.

"Ouch!" he said, standing up and looking around. I took him by the t-shirt and started shaking him.

"Are you a thief? Do you know who you're dealing with? Have you seen an alpaca? Are you a vampire? Why are you so pale? Are you awake? Where is my left sock?" I showered the guy with questions. He looked at me with wide eyes. Like in a trance, he said:

"No, maybe, three times, perhaps, I don't know, just a little, behind Uncle Mitch's bed"

"I see" I said, touching my chin reflexively. Erza sighed. Then she took the guy I was holding by the shirt.

"Who are you? You have three seconds to answer before I slice you pale face in two" she said coldly.

"Daisuke Komori. Destroy everything but my face, your highness!" he said. Erza completely ignored the last part.

"What are you and your friends doing in this house?"

Daisuke shivered, as if we was remembering an unpleasant moment.

"We..." he looked at the other guys "My brothers and I... we were paid to kidnap the girl..."

"Why?" said Gray. Daisuke looked at him. Desperation filled his eyes. I felt bad for him, for just a slight moment.

"I- I don't know. He... he just came into our house, and offered 100,000 jewel in exchange for kidnapping her, but-"

"Wait" I said "He? Who is he?"

Tears appeared in the guys eyes.

"He..."

As if he was a toy that ran out of battery, the guy fell unconscious on the floor.

"What on Earth..." Gray murmured. I started shaking the guy by the shoulders.

"Wake up!" I shouted.

"Stop" Erza said "It will do no good. Even if he wakes up, he won't be able to say a word. He is under a powerful spell"

"But Lucy" I said "Where is she?"

Erza looked at me. For the first time in a _long long long _time, worry filled her eyes.

"Kidnapped" murmured Erza hesitantly "Most likely"

"This is bad. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad" I said. I stood up and sniffed the air.

"Train station" I murmured, and ran out of the house, with Erza and Gray running after me. Lucy. Lucy. Lucy, where are you? After what seemed like ages, I finally arrived to the train station. I sniffed the air, looking for Lucy. But it was too late. I just noticed where she was before her train started running, getting away from me.

"LUCY!" I shouted, chasing the train "LUCY!"

In my running, my feet got stuck in a pile of luggage, making me fall, and putting Lucy away from my reach.

"LUCY!" I shouted again, more desperately "L-Lucy..."

* * *

**_Lucy First Person POV_**

I was sitting on the train, waiting for it to start running. Ah, so this is what adventure felt like. I smelled the air. It smelled of cleaning products, coal and cloth.

"Hey" Sting said, stepping into our cabin. His smile was as bright as ever, and his eyes were full of joy. Somehow, this blond dragon slayer had convinced me to go on a quest with him. Gosh, Sting. He was so... perfect. Something in him made me trust him, and made the butterflies inside my stomach flutter like crazy. He made my heartbeat speed up, just like...

"Look, I brought you muffins" he said, interrupting my thoughts "Strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, banana and raspberry. Oh, and lemon" he sat by my side and, to my heart's content, placed his arm around me. He took out a fresh-baked, delicious-looking chocolate muffin out of the basket.

"Say _ahhhh" _he said.

"Ahhhh" I said, feeling really stupid. He placed the muffin nearby my face, and I bit it. It was delicious! Just like Sting. The thought made me blush. Sting laughed.

"What are those red cheeks for?" he asked. I looked away. _Gosh, how did he notice? _Sting lugged again.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me" he said. Then, abruptly and without notice, he kissed my forehead. My face felt hot. I figured that I must have looked like a human tomato.

"Are you ready for adventure?" he said, without saying a word about my flush. I was so embarrassed about my face being red that I didn't notice that we were holding hands.

"Yes" I said smiling "More than ready"

Sting's smile widened. Every time he smiled, it was like the sun shone on me. The way he half-closed his eyes in joy,the way his cheeks turned a little red... well,you can imagine the state in which the butterflies inside my stomach and the drums inside my heart were. Sting hugged me with both his arms.

"Good" he said "It will be good for you to go out a bit more"

He yawned and placed his head on mine, so mine was resting in his shoulder. The heat of his body made me feel safe, it made me feel... well, like in home. He kissed my cheek, again, without a notice.

"Good night" he said, closing his eyes. I smiled. Taking all the courage I didn't know I have, I returned him the kiss. His smile widened even more.

"Goog night" I murmured back.


	6. Man of Fire

**_Annyeonghaseyo! _****How are you, everybody? Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a long time... but well, Here I am again! Thank you for all the favorites and follows and reviews! Please leave a review... I like reviews. Reviews are yummy. I love reviews. Well, so here is the new chapter! I really hope you like it. Did you look up for the songs in the last chapter? They're good, aren't they? EXO EXO! EXOOOOO! Um, sorry. I missed the point. I just choose one song for this chapter, sorry. So, the song for this chapter is:**

· Kaji Yuuki's _Kirasaki Carnival _**  
**

* * *

**_Chapter 6_**

**_"Man of Fire"_**

**_Lucy's First Person POV_**

_It was dark. Dark and hot. My surroundings were so hot and humid that I could feel the sweat pearls forming in my forehead, and then dripping slowly through the sharp lines of my face. My body felt weak, and I couldn't move. I was laying on the cold, hard ground. Everything around me -the sky, the floor- was black. When I say black, I don't mean dark. I mean empty. The floor was so black that I couldn't even see it, and when I looked up, it was so dark that I couldn't tell if there even was a sky. I started breathing heavily in __desperation, unable to see anything but myself. Then, as if God had heard my prayers, a light appeared in front of me. Just that, what it showed could cause anyone have nightmares. Under the light, a huge, old-fashioned gothic carousel was slowly spinning. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and yet the most horrible. The horses had colorful and delicate saddles, decorated with precious stones and clothes with exotic designs. The horses __were wether as white as snow or as black as the night, and their hair waved in the air. The horrible part was that the horses, as impossible as it sounds, were real. And more than real, they were _alive. _They shrieked in pain, and tears (yes, tears) flowed out of their eyes. In each one of the horses, a member of Fairy Tail was tied, moaning in pain, screaming for help. In the center of the carousel, Natsu was tied to the central pillar. He looked up. the moment he saw me, his eyes widened._

_"Get out of here!" he yelled at me "You don't know what you're getting into. He wants you!"_

_ My heart was beating like crazy, probably because of my fear._

_"Natsu, what are you saying?" I asked__. Tears streamed down his eyes._

_"He told us it was just a way for being closer. But they wanted the guild! They wanted you!_

_"N-Natsu!" I shouted "I... I don't understand!"_

_"It's too late" said Natsu miserably._

_"W-what?"_

_One of the horses, a big black shire horse, turned its face at me and said:_

_"Wake up, Lucy"_

* * *

I opened my eyes. Like in my nightmare, I was breathing heavily, sweat going down my face. I could feel my heart racing like one of the moaning horses of the carousel. I looked around in fear, my eyes exorbitant. I was expecting to see a diabolic merry-go-round and a dying Natsu, but instead I just found Sting's concerned face. He held my face between his hands, worried.

"Lucy, what happened? Are you okay?" he said. His voice broke as he asked me that question. I could see that his eyes were filled with tears of worry, or maybe of something else, but that he held them with extreme concentration and a soul made of iron. I looked at him, half-awake half-still in my nightmare.

"Are you okay?" Sting repeated, more impatient and more eager to see how I was. I hesitated before saying:

"Y-yes. It was just a nightmare" I shivering even though I was sweating because of the heat. Sting held me in his strong, warm arms. When he held me, it felt like the merry-go-round never existed, and that the whole word, _my _whole world, was safe inside his mighty arms.

"It's okay" he murmured in my ear, his voice sweet and calming, being to me what is medicine to other people "You're awake now. The nightmare's gone. I'm here with you" he kissed my forehead and left his lips there a few seconds. He fondled my hair slowly and sweetly, making me return to this world.

"Well" I said after a while "Why did you wake me up, anyway?"

"Oh, right! I forgot!" he said. His voice had lost all worry, and now was full of joy and excitement "We arrive in just an hour!"

Without saying any other thing, Sting stood up on his seat and started jumping on it.

"Just an hour! Just an hour! Just an houuuuurrr!" shouted Sting while jumping like a little child with hyperactivity caused by high amounts of sugar and carbohi... um, sorry, I missed the point. I laughed, watching how Sting jumped up and down.

"You're so immature!" I said, teasing him. Sting stopped jumping and looked at me, frowning.

"Am I?" he asked. As fast as a bullet, he jumped to my seat and asked again, now in a murmur "Am I?"

He smiled widely.

"I am!" he shouted. He tackled me and jumped on me. I blushed hard, but he didn't notice, he was apparently on behaving like a five-year-old. He started tickling me in the neck. I moved s¡from a side to another, laughing with my eyes closed tightly.

"Ahhhh! W-wait! It tickles! IT TICKLES!"

"Ha! I know!" he said smiling. He started laughing, too.

"Why... Ha ha ha ha ha... why on earth... IT TICKLES!... are you laughing? I'm not... PWAHAHA!... I'm not even touching you!"

He laughed again.

"I know! But your face is hilarious!" he said smiling.

"Your grandma's face!"

I was laughing so hard that I felt that in any moment my eyes were going to pop out of my head. Then, making the fun stop...

_"Beep Beep Beep... Entering call... Beep Beep Beep"_

Sting stopped tickling me. He frowned, his smile melting off his face.

"Um, your phone-" I started

"It's not mine" said Sting. I frowned. Oh, that's right! I had bought a phone last week! I took it out of my skirt's pocket (yes, a skirt with pockets. Last trend in Magnolia) and answered the phone.

"_Moshi moshi?" _I said.

"Lucy! Lucy, is it you?" said a voice in the phone.

"Um... yes? Who's talking?"

"It's me, Mira! Mirajane Strassus!"

"Mira!" I said, a little surprised, and a bit disappointed of the tickling stopping.

"Lucy, are you kidnapped?" asked Mira, her voice full of worry. I looked at Sting, who was laying on me. In a very, VERY private position. _Hell! _I hadn't realized the compromising place in which we were, and neither did he. He had been too busy tickling me that he didn't notice how he was sitting on me. Trying to ignore that little dirty fact, I answered Mira:

"Erm... no. Who told you that?"

"Natsu!" she answered "He found some weird guy in your house, and then the guy told him about you being kidnapped or something. Where are you, anyway?"

"Ohhhhhh, thaaaat..." I looked at Sting again "I'm on a mission. I'm going to the capital, Mira"

"Oh, I already know that part. Natsu told me"

I frowned.

"What?" I asked

"Yes. He smelled your way. He knows you're going to the capital. He still thinks that you've been abducted, Lucy. He is probably chasing the train at this very moment"

I opened my eyes widely.

"What?" I murmured.

_CRASH!_

The train stooped suddenly, with such strength that the luggage fell from the compartments to the floor with a strong _PAM!_

"What the hell was that?" murmured Sting, who was still on me.

"_L-ladies and g-gentleman!" _said the voice from the train speakers "_D-don't panic! The train... Stop the babbling if you appreciate your life!" _said a new voice, very familiar indeed "_Lucy, are you here? It's me, Gray! I'm here with Erza and Natsu"_ the voice switched from Gray's to Erza's "_If any bastard on this train has Lucy Heartfilia, you won't like the __consequences. If anyone... oh, wait, Erza!"_ this time it was Natsu's voice_ "I smell her! Wait, Lucy! I'm coming for you!"_

"No" I murmured "Oh, no"

Sting looked at me, his eyes dripping curiosity and worry. I looked back at him, unable to speak, even unable to make any sound. How could I have been so stupid?... Leaving home without notice, without even saying goodbye. Leaving Natsu behind...

"Lucy, what-"

Before he could finish the phrase, the doors of the cabin opened with a loud sound. In the door, covered of sweat and oil, with cuts and bruises all over his body, flames coming out of his mouth and smoke out of his nose, with his hard fists closed tightly, a young, pink-haired boy looked at Sting with killer eyes.

"Natsu Dragneel" murmured Sting.


End file.
